Deadbeat

Every one of this Canadian nu-dub producer’s six albums to date has been unique and Roots and Wire is no exception. For his first record on Mathew Jonson’s Wagon Repair label, Scott Monteith has absorbed his new Berlin surroundings (where he moved some 18 months back) and turned in eight tracks that constitute his most club-ready full-length fare since 2001’s Primordia. Much of that debt goes to the hallowed Chain Reaction mode of minimal dub techno, highlighted by the appearance of Rhythm & Sound MC Paul St. Hilaire on "Rise Again” and "Babylon Connection.” But a small part of what’s going on also tags the rising, techno-influenced dubstep circuit and most surprisingly, parts of Roots and Wire hang close to recent outings by 2562 and even Martyn. Club music has a hard time claiming an individual identity and at times, Monteith comes close to giving up the distinct one he’s gained over his career for entry into the three a.m. crowd. But he’s has always had a strong hold on the workings of his signature sound and even with these striking comparisons flowing through his new work, he still sounds enough like Deadbeat to avoid what in a lesser producer’s hands would have turned out as a grab-bag of other artists’ triumphs. This is the danciest Deadbeat to date and, as expected by now, a surprising left turn.